News

The New Bethesda (Part Deux)

At the Bernstein Companies’ Georgetown waterfront officeyesterday, we snapped COO Marc Duber and VP Greg Rooney, who predict the revival of Woodmont Triangle andWisconsin Avenue between East-West Highway and Battery Lane. Marc remembers it as the center of Bethesda gravity years ago before Bethesda Row drew activity south of Old Georgetown Road. Now much of the new building is planned for Woodmont Triangle again, including Bernstein’s own glam Bethesda Center at 7750 Wisconsin, which should be fully entitled by spring and hopes for a late 2013 start on a 210-key Westin and 250k SF oftrophy office. It will capitalize on the foot traffic of folks who naturally want to cut through from Woodmont (near the Lionsgate condos) to Wisconsin by putting in 15,000 feet of high end retail, focusing on restaurants. (No, this is not the view from the Bisnow chopper but a scale model on Marc’s coffee table, right underneath his picture of a souped-up ‘67 Pontiac GTO.)